The theory of the fictional worlds is an interesting source not only for theoretical thinking about literature, but for concrete interpretation, too. I applied it as a method for an analysis of the novel space. In the chosen works I paid attention to the topoanalysis with the goal to know, how much space participates on the creation of the meaning of the text. I was interested most of all in such texts, which were to consider working with the space - the task was thento realize in which way and how much. The results showed, that some categories like road, boundary, passage or home can work as universal points, which can be used for the interpretation, but with the note, that it isn't advisable only to work with too many categories, which could make in the result the interpretation even poorer than before.

Thesis advisor: Margaret Thomas / This research paper aims to compare fictional languages, in particular those created in works of science fiction, to natural languages. After an introduction to conlangs in general, and to Quenya, Klingon, Dothraki and Na’vi specifically, Greenberg’s linguistic universals will be used to test their resemblance to natural languages, and suggest a taxonomy of fictional languages. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Linguistics.

abstract: The purpose of this study is to explore the shifting cultural norms of copyright law, and that concept’s impact on the performance and practice of artists producing original works of authorship. Although related concepts predate it, and today it exists as a subset of a broader category known as intellectual property, the purpose of copyright beginning with the United States Constitution was to allow for a temporary economic monopoly to an author of a fixed creative work. This monopoly was meant to incentivize authors to contribute to the public good with works that promote progress in science and art. However, increases over time in the scope and duration of copyright terms grant broader protections and controls for copyright owners today, while advances in technology have provided the public with the potential for near-limitless low-cost access to information. This creates a conflict between proprietary interest in creative works and the public’s right and ability to access and build on those works. The history of copyright law in America is rife with efforts to balance these competing interests. The methodology for this study consisted of flexible strategies for collecting and analyzing data, primarily elite, semi-structured interviews with professional artists, attorneys, and others who engage with the cultural and legal norms of intellectual property regimes on a regular basis. Constant comparative analysis was used to maintain an emic perspective, prioritizing the subjective experience of individuals interviewed for this research project. Additional methods for qualitative analysis were also employed here to code and categorize gathered data, including the use of RQDA, a software package for Qualitative Data Analysis that runs within the R statistical software program. Various patterns and behaviors relevant to intellectual property reforms as they relate to artist practices were discussed in detail following the analysis of findings, in an effort to describe how cultural norms of copyright intersect with the creation of original works of authorship, and towards the development of the theory that the semiotic sign systems subject to intellectual property laws are not themselves forms of real property, as they do not meet the categorical requirements of scarce resources. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Journalism and Mass Communication 2018

Following the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Afghan women suddenly gained high visibility all over the world. Since then, representations of Afghan women in the Western media and notably in the U.S. news media provide a critical concern to scholars. Much of the relevant literature on this topic speaks to the fact that the dominant portrayal of Afghan women in the Western media has shown them as passive victims of war and violence, to be liberated only by the Western military intervention. However, the question remains as to how the popular fictional narratives, as another vivid source of information, represent Afghan women to the Western readers. To address this question, A Thousand Splendid Suns, as a popular novel authored by Khalid Hosseini, an Afghan novelist, was selected. Bormannian fantasy theme analysis of this novel conveys the passivity of women in the context of Afghanistan. The findings reveal that the portrayals of Afghan women in the novel correspond with the images of Afghan women in the Western media. Moreover, an examination of a sample of book reviews of the novel unveils the important contribution of Khalid Hosseini to the Orientalist discourse.

Following the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Afghan women suddenly gained high visibility all over the world. Since then, representations of Afghan women in the Western media and notably in the U.S. news media provide a critical concern to scholars. Much of the relevant literature on this topic speaks to the fact that the dominant portrayal of Afghan women in the Western media has shown them as passive victims of war and violence, to be liberated only by the Western military intervention. However, the question remains as to how the popular fictional narratives, as another vivid source of information, represent Afghan women to the Western readers. To address this question, A Thousand Splendid Suns, as a popular novel authored by Khalid Hosseini, an Afghan novelist, was selected. Bormannian fantasy theme analysis of this novel conveys the passivity of women in the context of Afghanistan. The findings reveal that the portrayals of Afghan women in the novel correspond with the images of Afghan women in the Western media. Moreover, an examination of a sample of book reviews of the novel unveils the important contribution of Khalid Hosseini to the Orientalist discourse.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to see how technology is presented in different fictional picture books that are available in preschool. Six fictional picture books that have connection to technology in picture and text have been analysed. In order to show how technology can be made visible in fictional picture books, the relation between picture and text has been analysed through a technology perspective. Furthermore, the pictures and the texts have been analysed separately in order to show what they show respectively in terms of technology. The fictional picture book has a potential to be a basis for making technology visible in preschool, which is a step in a new direction. The obvious is that the fictional picture book is a suitable “teaching material” to make technology visible in preschool. That gives both children and pedagogue a reson to be creative and problem-solver. Keywords: Fictional picture booksanalys, technology in preschool

This work is meant to contribute to the research of adaptation studies by focusing on a special case: the transformation of a fictional diary into a movie. In order to sustain the form of the literary source the adaptation to movie requires certain strategies. Först of all, the diary genre is characterized by a one-dimensional narration. Second, diaries only supply a few written dialogues, hence this "void" has to be compensated and filled by media specific measures. Third, the investigated diary is a story of individualization and emancipation of a single woman. Therefore not only the lack of dialogues but also the lack of actors composes a challenge to the work of adaptation. The main task is thus to analyze the literary source and the movie and identify the specific strategies that make the transformation of a fictional diary to a movie possible.

This project consisted of a series of short stories which worked together creating a larger fictional piece in the form of a non-continuous narrative. This non-continuous narrative is in the tradition of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, and Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine. The stories in this type of fiction are connected by similar themes and settings, allowing the reader to participate directly in the creative process. The reader helps create the fiction by drawing his or her own conclusions about the characters and places from between the individual stories. By involving the reader more directly in the outcome, this type of narrative creates a more emotional response to the work. Each of the stories in this project were set in a town called Sand Beach, Michigan, and involved four generations of women in a single family. The major themes of the stories were mother/daughter relationships, healing, and redemption. Common images in the stories presented were, Lake Huron, the town of Sand Beach, and a rock in the local region bearing Native American petroglyphs Each of these images participated in the development of the common themes. / Department of English

This collection of short stories explores the depths of human emotions as seemingly unrelated characters in an Indiana community react to tragedies, including death, divorce, abuse, financial struggles, and assault. Each character experiences intense isolation and hopelessness, and some question the presence of a God who would allow such suffering. Not only are the protagonists' stories unique, but the characters themselves are diverse, encompassing different ages, genders, races, and class levels. Each story is linked by a cause-and-effect in which one person's reaction to grief creates tragedy in someone else's life. Therefore, the protagonist of one story becomes the antagonist of the next, and readers get a glimpse into both sides of the conflict. This chain reaction continues until the final story, in which the protagonist chooses to deal with his grief through faith and forgiveness, offering his attacker redemption and exemplifying the depth of God's love. / Portrait of Jesus (1988) -- The deep end (2003) -- Wrongful death (2005) -- Double shift (2006) -- The fight (2006) -- The path (2006) / Department of English

The Shadow Line is a collection of six short stories featuring characters whose lives take them near, and often across, the metaphorical Line that separates light from dark. Some of these characters indeed straddle that Line, living lives of apparent uprightness while harboring the seeds of inescapable menace. Some hover on the outside of some social structure and yearn to cross over, to leave the shadows of their lives outside for the apparent radiance within. And some live in worlds of brightness and comfort, only to find themselves confronting sudden moments of inexplicable terror. Told from various points of view, these stories invite the reader to listen to the characters — to explore the secrets they keep, the fears and doubts and dangers they face as they confront the darkness — and to inhabit with them, for a short time, the menacing world on either side of the Shadow Line. / A story to tell -- Grass grows greener -- Salvation -- Places -- The delivery -- The ivory tower. / Department of English